Special of the month
LOVINGLY CRAFTED ONE-OFF BIKES IN STUNNING DETAIL
Indian Thug What’s the big idea?
This is the winner of the first Project Scout UK contest. That’s a competition for Indian dealers to show off their customising skills by taking a Scout or Scout Sixty and making it unique in a build taking no longer than 90 days.
The only restrictions were that they had to use at least three Scout extras from the Indian accessories list, and at least one part from one of Indian’s favoured aftermarket suppliers, Custom Chrome Europe, MAG Europe or Harrison Billet.
The winner was chosen by a public vote at Motorcycle Live at the NEC.
Who made it?
The team at Thor Motorcycles in Bodmin, Cornwall. Dealer principal Colin Treleaven explains how they went about it: “We didn’t want to build a ‘handbag’ fashion-statement bike. It had to be something that hadn’t been done before and it had to be a rideable bike.
“Most of the components were sourced by rooting through our stores and parts bins, aiming to keep the build as cost-effective as possible. With the exception of the lighting, exhaust and a handful of official Indian accessories, anything that couldn’t be found in our shop was hand-fabricated.”
What’s the hardware?
It’s a fat-wheeled bobber based on a Scout Sixty. The wheels, forks and six-piston brake calipers were salvaged from unfinished projects in the Thor workshop. Hagon made the bespoke rear shocks. The exhaust is from Freedom Performance. The bodywork was all fabricated in-house.
“One of the hardest tasks was creating a machined spline assembly that
extended the front sprocket to convert the final drive to a chain (from the standard belt). Thug goes as well as it looks and we’ll definitely be riding it on the road,” says Treleaven.
What’s the trickest detail?
We’re very keen on the super-neat little speedo, mounted by the rider’s left knee, and the exhaust is a gem. But for us what really works about this bike is the way that it’s been transformed into something infinitely beefier and more purposeful looking – chiefly by the use of big wheels and tyres – while still remaining rideable.
Is there a production bike?
No, and Thor say this one-off is not currently for sale. However, several of the other Project Scout UK contestants are offering their bikes for sale – for just £9995 in the case of Brian, the Blade Motorcycles entry.